Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Netherlands: Burqa Ban Enters into Force (Aug. 27, 2019) On August 1, 2019,

 


Netherlands: Burqa Ban Enters into Force


(Aug. 27, 2019) On August 1, 2019, the “Act Partially Prohibiting Face-Covering Clothing,”also known as the “Burqa Ban,” entered into force in the Netherlands. The Act prohibits the wearing of clothing that completely or partially conceals the face in spaces where people are expected to communicate with each other. Thus, face-covering clothing is banned on public transportation and in educational, governmental, and nursing care institutions, but is still allowed in such public spaces as on train platforms. The ban applies to burqas, niqabs, full-face helmets, balaclavas, and masks, but not to headscarves. Article 1 of the Act provides that individuals who violate the face-covering regulations are to be made aware of the law and given the opportunity to remove the piece of clothing or leave the premises. If the individual refuses, the police can issue a fine of €150–€410 (about US$167–$459). There are no official numbers on how many women in the Netherlands wear a burqa or a niqab, with estimates varying between 200 and 400. By banning face-covering clothing, the Dutch are following the lead of several European countries, such as France, Belgium, Austria, and Denmark, which have introduced similar laws since 2010.

Background

In 2005, a motion by parliamentarian Geert Wilders asking the government to establish a complete prohibition of face veils in public passed the lower house (Tweede Kamer) of the Dutch parliament. Pressured by Wilders’ Party for Freedom, Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democratic Appeal agreed in their coalition negotiations in 2010 to support a burqa ban in all public places. However, because such a law violates article 6 of the Dutch Constitution, which establishes the right to freedom of religion, the Rutte government proposed in 2012 a ban on not only face veils but all “face-covering” clothing in public places. With the end of the coalition, the proposal was dropped in the same year. Rutte’s second cabinet found that there was insufficient grounds for a general ban that would apply in all public places. Therefore, the bill submitted by the cabinet in 2015 was more limited in the scope of its applicability. The partial ban passed the lower house in 2016 and the upper house (Eerste Kamer) on June 26, 2018. The bill’s entering into force was delayed to give affected organizations time to draw up rules for enforcing the ban themselves and announce them well in advance.

Enforcement

Verification of compliance with the Act Partially Prohibiting Face-Covering Clothing lies primarily with the personnel of the institutions or public transport companies where the prohibition applies. They are expected to address offenders, point out the existence of the prohibition, and request them to remove the face covering or leave the premises. The police can be called if the individual refuses to follow the instructions. The police are also to warn the person concerned to remove the face covering or leave the location. If the individual continues to refuse, the police can issue a fine.

As Dutch media have reported, enforcement of the law will be difficult, as there is “much discontent and a lack of clarity” among organizations that are affected by the law regarding its implementation. Hospital associations, public transport companies, and the mayors of three of the biggest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht) have stated that enforcement of the law is not a priority for them. The Dutch Association of Hospitals stated that it is up to the individual hospitals to decide whether they will deny care to burqa and niqab wearers. A Dutch newspaper reported that several hospitals have announced that everyone will be helped regardless of the clothing they are wearing because the duty to provide care is the main concern for health care providers. A spokesperson for the Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers states that health care providers fear that people will avoid seeking care if they are not allowed to wear a burqa or niqab in a hospital.

Public transportation employees have received instructions that they are not allowed to refuse Muslim women with a burqa when they enter a bus or tram and employees should determine themselves whether they want to address someone to point out the new law. However, for the transport carriers, the most important aspect is the unimpeded operation of trains, buses, trams, and subways. The transport carriers cannot delay the vehicles to wait for the police. Therefore, the transport companies will initially limit themselves to registering the number of violations of the burqa ban.

The police also stated that the enforcement of the ban will not be a priority. Further, the police and the Ministry of the Interior have disagreed over the interpretation of the law. The Dutch police first announced that it would continue to offer women who refuse to take off the face cover for religious reasons to be directed to a separate room where they can take off their veil in the presence of a, preferably, female agent. However, the Ministry of the Interior disagreed with the police’s assessment that this practice would still be possible under the new law because it is not permitted to enter a police station with face-covering clothing. The internal instructions of the police have since been adjusted so that the Dutch police can assist burqa wearers outside the police station with reporting crimes or other matters, for example by telephone or digitally. If any kind of statement has to be made, it can be recorded at the burqa wearer’s home.

A Dutch media outlet has reported that article 53 of the Code of Criminal Procedure authorizes every citizen to arrest a suspect when they discover a criminal offense has been committed. However, the Public Prosecutor’s office has warned that citizens can make such arrests only when someone is caught red-handed and immediately handed over to the police. Media reports on the issue have created fear among burqa and niqab wearers that the public will become violent.

Perhaps because the Dutch government was aware that the burqa law would be difficult to enforce, it is slated to be evaluated in three years instead of the standard five years.

Prepared by Anne-Cathérine Stolz, Law Library intern, under the supervision of Jenny Gesley, Foreign Law Specialist.


Author: Jenny Gesley

Topic: Attire, Freedom of religion, Human rights and civil liberties, Religious minorities

Jurisdiction: Netherlands

Date: August 27, 2019





Thursday, October 8, 2020

New International Commercial Court Netherlands Aug. 11, 2017) On July 18, 2017,

 New International Commercial Court Netherlands





(Aug. 11, 2017) On July 18, 2017, Stef Blok, Minister of Security and Justice of the Netherlands, submitted draft legislation to the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) on the establishment of a new commercial court that would have the authority to render judgments in English on complex international trade disputes involving the Netherlands. (Legislative Proposal on Netherlands Commercial Court Submitted to Dutch House of Representatives, Ministry of Security and Justice website (July 18, 2017).)

According to the Ministry of Security and Justice, “[t]here is an increasing need in the Netherlands for dispute resolution in English,” given the wide use of English “in international trade and drawing up contracts, as well as in correspondence between legal, fiscal and commercial advisers and their internationally operating clients.” (Id.) The new commercial court is important not only to meet this need, the Ministry indicated, but also, by conducting international trade case hearings in English, to ensure the role of the Netherlands in international trade. (Id.) There also appears to be a world-wide trend to establish international commercial courts, such as those recently set up in Singapore and Dubai. (Annette Scholten, An International Netherlands Commercial Court?,TRANSNATIONAL NOTES (Feb. 28, 2017).)

Features of the Draft Legislation

The draft law provides for the amendment of the Dutch Code of Civil Procedure and the Act on Court Fees in Civil Proceedings to make it possible for English-language cases to be handled by an international commercial chamber of the Court of Amsterdam – the Netherlands Commercial Court (NCC) – and by the international commercial chamber of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal – the Netherlands Commercial Court of Appeal (NCCA). (Legislative Proposal on Netherlands Commercial Court Submitted to Dutch House of Representatives, supra; TK Wetsvoorstel inzake Netherlands Commercial Court [TK Bill on Netherlands Commercial Court], Government of the Netherlands website (July 18, 2017) (click on pdf icon or hyperlink to download text); Wetboek van Burgerlijke Rechtsvordering [Code of Civil Procedure] (as last amended Apr. 1, 2017), OVERHEID.NL; Wet van 30 september 2010 tot invoering van een nieuw griffierechtenstelsel in burgerlijke zaken (Wet griffierechten burgerlijke zaken) [Act of 30 September 2010 on the Introduction of a New Court Fee System in Civil Proceedings] (Act on Court Fees in Civil Proceedings) (Sept. 30, 2010, as last amended effective Mar. 1, 2017) OVERHEID.NL.)

Among other measures, the draft legislation inserts a new article 30r in the Code of Civil Procedure, stating that if the NCC or the NCCA has jurisdiction to hear a dispute that has arisen or that will arise in connection with a particular legal relationship freely determined by the parties and that concerns an international dispute, and the parties explicitly agree to it, the parties may prosecute the case in the English language in the NCC or the NCCA. This does not apply to matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the district court. The agreement to have the case heard in English is to be evidenced in writing; a document containing a clause on the agreement, or referring to such a clause in general terms, is sufficient for that purpose, provided that the specific clause has been expressly accepted by or on behalf of the other party. (Id. art. IA, inserting art. 30r(1).)

If parties have agreed to adjudication by the NCC or the NCCA, the presiding judge will be responsible for handling the case in English. (Id. art. IA, inserting art. 30r(3).) The court will also pronounce sentence in English, unless the proceedings have been conducted in Dutch at the request of the parties. However, if a party lodges a defense that the case must not be dealt with by the international commercial division of the NCC or the NCCA, but by another court, the proceedings may be conducted in Dutch and the judge will render verdict in Dutch. (Id. art. IA, inserting art. 30r(4).) If a decision rendered in English must be registered in a Dutch public register in accordance with a legal requirement, the parts of the decision necessary for that registration will also be set down in Dutch. (Id. art. IA, inserting art. 30r(5).)

Proposed changes to the Act on Court Fees in Civil Proceedings have to do with the payment of court fees for handling of the case by the international commercial division of the NCC or NCCA. (Id. art. IIA, inserting a new art. 9a in the Act.)

Other Aspects of the New Court

Three judges specialized in dealing with international trade disputes will hear each case that comes before the new court. The judges will be selected on the basis of such qualifications as their knowledge of private law, their knowledge of legal English and of American and English procedural law, and their experience in handling large and complex international trade disputes. (Jurisdiction of the Netherlands Commercial Court, Netherlands Commercial Court website (last visited Aug. 1, 2017).)

The legislation on the court, the Netherlands Commercial Court Act (Wet Netherlands Commercial Court), is scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2018. (The Netherlands Commercial Court, Netherlands Commercial Court website (last visited Aug. 1, 2017).)


Thursday, August 20, 2020

July 7, 2017) On March 1, 2017 Netherlands: Two New Laws and Decree on Right of Access to a Lawyer


Netherlands: Two New Laws and Decree on Right of Access to a Lawyer
(July 7, 2017) On March 1, 2017, two new laws and a decree, all related to the right of access to a lawyer before and during police questioning of a suspect, entered into force in the Netherlands. (Legislation Access Lawyer During Police Questioning in Force, Ministry of Security and Justice website (Feb. 27, 2017).)


A law adopted on November 17, 2016, transposes into Dutch law the corresponding European Union directive on the right of access to a lawyer. According to the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice, the new pieces of legislation balance the interests of the suspect and those of the investigation. (Id.; Act of 17 November 2016 Implementing Directive 2013/48/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013 on the Right of Access to a Lawyer in Criminal Proceedings and in European Arrest Warrant Proceedings, and on the Right to Have a Third Party Informed upon Deprivation of Liberty and to Communicate with Third Persons and with Consular Authorities While Deprived of Liberty, STAATSBLAD VAN HET KONINKRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN [GOVERNMENT GAZETTE OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS, Stb.] 2016 Nr. 475 (Dec. 8, 2016, in force on Mar. 1, 2017), available at OVERHEID.NL (in Dutch); Directive 2013/48/EU…, 2013 OJ (L. 294) 1, EUR-LEX.)


The second law, also adopted on November 17, 2016, amends the Code of Criminal Procedure and some other legislation by adding new provisions on the accused, counsel, and some coercive measures. (Act of 17 November 2016, Amending the Code of Criminal Procedure and Some Other Laws Relating to the Addition of Provisions on the Accused, Counsel, and Some Coercive Measures, Stb. 2016 Nr. 476 (Dec. 8, 2016), available at OVERHEID.NL (in Dutch).) The law has supplementary measures pertaining to the initial phase of a criminal investigation, e.g., it extends the period of time that a suspect may be held for questioning from six hours to nine, to further enable access to legal counsel during questioning. (Legislation Access Lawyer During Police Questioning in Force, supra.)


Finally, the Decree of January 26, 2017, provides rules to implement the participation of counsel during investigative questioning. (Besluit van 26 januari 2017, houdende regels voor de inrichting van en de orde tijdens het politieverhoor waaraan de raadsman deelneemt (Besluit inrichting en orde politieverhoor), Stb. 2017 Nr. 29 (Feb. 9, 2017), available at OVERHEID.NL.) The legislation corresponds to a policy letter, applied by the Public Prosecution Service since March 1, 2016, that laid down rules of practice for the right to legal counsel prior to and during police questioning; it is also in line with EU regulations, decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, and case law of the Dutch Supreme Court. (Legislation Access Lawyer During Police Questioning in Force, supra.)


According to the Decree, counsel may make comments and ask questions “directly after the start and directly before the end of the questioning,” with the investigating officer in charge responsible for providing this opportunity to counsel. (Id.) During the questioning, lawyers are authorized to point out to the interrogating officer that, for example, the suspect did not understand the question asked or that the suspect’s physical or psychological state is impeding reliable continuation of the interrogation, and also to respond to the officer themselves if the suspect cannot freely make a statement, which constitutes, according to the Ministry of Security and Justice, a ban on coercive interrogations. (Id.)


The Decree also provides that the lawyer or the suspect him/herself “may ask for an interruption of the questioning, for mutual consultations” but the lawyer may “not answer any questions on behalf of the suspect, unless with the consent of the officer conducting the interrogation and of the suspect.” (Id.) The Decree indicates that the interrogating officer may, if he “considers it effective and reasonable,” permit the lawyer to play more of a role during questioning. (Id.) In addition, lawyers are to be given the opportunity to make remarks on how the questioning is represented when drawn up in the official report on the interrogation. (Id.)


Author: Wendy Zeldin


Topic: Criminal procedure, Detention


Jurisdiction: Netherlands


Date: July 7, 2017